This invention pertains to a system for the management and routing of fiber optic cables, more particularly to a cover system for covering troughs and junctions while still providing access to the interior of the troughs and junctions, even where there is limited clearance height above the troughs and junctions.
In the telecommunications industry there are numerous locations where a significant amount of fiber optic cable must be routed within a facility or from one facility to another. The routing within a facility may be from one piece of equipment to another, or from outside lines coming into a central office and to fiber optic connectors where they are connected to equipment within the facility.
The number of fibers may be great and the fibers must all be handled with great care to avoid damage to the fiber cable, which hinders its performance.
In a typical facility, fiber optic troughs are normally used to carry or route the fiber optic cables. Although not necessarily, in most facilities the troughs are located overhead and over the location of the fiber optic distribution frames, bays and equipment.
In certain types of facilities, a significant trough network is needed to contain and route the fiber cables. The installation time and expense can be substantial for said trough systems. The installation time and expense is further increased when the troughs, trough supports and junctions are not readily adaptable to the configuration desired in the facility and when the troughs, couplings, junctions, downfalls and other equipment do not readily or easily assemble, or when tools such as screwdrivers are required for installation. The typical prior art system requires numerous screws to secure the covers and other components together.
The design, layout and assembly of these trough systems are further complicated because of the unique nature of fiber cables and how the fiber cable must be placed, routed and managed. In the management of fiber optic cables, it is important to maintain a minimum bend radius to protect the fiber optic cables. One typical standard minimum bend radius is one and one-half inches, while another standard minimum bend radius is thirty millimeters (30 mm).
It is also desirable to minimize the number and size of bumps, cracks, holes and other deviations from a smooth surface to which the fibers are exposed, or on which the fibers are supported.
For many years there has been an unsatisfied need to reduce the assembly time and/or expense by providing a trough system which minimizes or eliminates the need for the use of screws and other time consuming fasteners and holders, while still providing a trough system which protects the integrity of the fiber cables.
This invention provides a new trough system which reduces the assembly and installation time and expense of a trough and junction system, and also provides better access in low overhead clearance situations.
In fiber optic trough systems, it is sometimes desirable to provide a cover for the interior of the trough system to prevent dust, parts, tools and other debris from falling into the interior of the fiber trough. It is also typically necessary to have reasonable access to the interior of the trough being covered, especially without having to relocate or move the cover system.
There are currently trough covers which snap on and off and must be taken off and temporarily located or stored elsewhere, while the fibers in the trough are being accessed. It becomes cumbersome to keep installing and removing the snap on type of covers and the covers are consequently removed and not replaced. The removed covers tend to remain piled on the xe2x80x9ccover pilexe2x80x9d at certain installations and the customer therefore does not get the benefits of having a cover over the trough junctions.
In prior hinged systems, old hinge technology such as metallic hinges, are utilized and the hinged side is normally attached by fasteners (typically screws) to one side of the trough junction, and it spans the entire width or outer dimensions of the trough junction. When the interior of the trough junction must be accessed, the entire cover (which spans the entire width of the trough junction) must be removed or rotated upward if hinges have been installed on one of the outer sides of the junction.
In the numerous installations in which there is very limited access, the hinge function of the cover cannot therefore be utilized in most cases because it doesn""t sufficiently open to allow unhindered access due to the limited overhead clearance. Thus, in many applications, these covers likewise end up in the xe2x80x9ctrough cover pilexe2x80x9d.
A problem in providing covers for typical trough systems is that the trough systems are typically located overhead and there is very limited vertical distance or space above the trough.
An embodiment of this invention provides a junction cover system for covering a junction element, said junction cover system preferably including two hinges for more desirable access, which allows better access in more limited clearance situations.
Providing a trough cover system is further compounded by the trough junctions because trough junctions typically have a greater span to cover, much greater than the width of the fiber cable troughs. In order to provide reasonable hinged access to junctions in the common limited overhead clearance scenario, a dual and/or split hinged cover is preferably utilized.